Smith: There's a method to the madness of Downtown street repairs 5.24.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

A few months back, I asked Mayor Greg Ballard exactly how bad the road construction and resulting congestion would be in Indianapolis this year.

He just smiled knowingly and explained that he planned to ride his bike to work as often as possible.

I cringed. And now that the orange barrels officially have arrived, I understand the wisdom of his answer.

Downtown Indianapolis, if you haven't noticed, looks like an obstacle course.

Not only are roads being resurfaced, but several sidewalks are closed for repairs -- often those that run along the same roads where lanes are shut for resurfacing projects, making it tough to walk around, much less drive around.

Georgia Street, between the Indiana Convention Center and Conseco Fieldhouse, is under construction. (Ballard will give an update on the project today.) So is the Cultural Trail on the south end of Downtown heading into Fountain Square.

There's work under way on Monument Circle, both to fix the bricks on Meridian and Market streets and to spruce up the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. And a resurfacing project will start next month on Mass Ave.

Other parts of Indianapolis -- as race fans are about to find out on their way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend -- are starting to look the same.

In short, it's insane!

The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that the construction is long overdue. Indianapolis will be a better city for it in the long term.

In the meantime, there's bound to be some short-term road rage.

To help you -- and me -- keep the bigger picture in mind while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, here are some facts about what we're in for this summer and why, according to Molly Deuberry, communications director for the city's Department of Public Works.

Question: With the construction Downtown, why work on almost every street that runs north and south, and east and west, simultaneously? Why not do a few at a time?
Answer: It would cost more. The handful of companies that were awarded contracts Downtown have the leeway to decide which streets they want to fix first and when. So, for example, if Contractor A had Meridian Street and Contractor B had Capitol Avenue, both could decide to resurface the streets at the same time, causing traffic headaches. If the city chose to dictate those details, the contracts would become more complex and expensive, leaving less money to pay for the actual roadwork.

Q: Why is a lot of the construction being done during the day, during the workweek? Why not do it at night or on the weekends?
A: Again, it's a cost issue. There is some work being done at night. But the city doesn't mandate that contractors work on certain days, although it does require contractors to back off during big events, such as the Indy 500.
(Join me in cheer for small favors. I'm going to cry when I'm finally able to turn left off West 38th Street.)

Q: Tell me the truth: Are we doing this because of the Super Bowl?
A: "Let me be clear," Deuberry said, emphatically. "We're not doing it for the Super Bowl." It needed to be done. On the flip side (of what, to me, seems like a very fine line), the city did make a decision to start the construction Downtown to make sure it will be done in time for the game.

Q: When will this end?
A: Expect things to be better by early August, but orange barrels really won't disappear until October.
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